Windows 10 Privacy: turn off location tracking

If you’re using a laptop, tablet or mobile device, it can be helpful to receive information and services based on wherever you happen to be at the time.

This can give you map directions, bus routes, restaurants, cinema times and so on.

How do you control it?

By default, Location is switched on in Windows 10. But if you’d rather that Windows or apps weren’t able to keep track of your whereabouts, head to Start > Settings > Privacy > Location.

Here, you can customise exactly how your location data is used. At the top, there’s a universal setting, which will not only switch off Location for your user account, but also for anyone else who logs into the computer – to do so, click Change > Off.

To switch off Location for just your account, switch the Location switch below to Off. You can also wipe your location history – click the Clear button under Clear history on this device.

If you’re happy to let Windows know your location, but want to control precisely which apps have access to this information, use the switches next to each app in the Choose apps that can use your location section underneath. Note that Location must be switched on for Cortana to work.